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The medical lobby continues to push for a longer-term solution as the current temporary patch to the Medicare physician payment formula is set to expire March 1. Also, what's to become of the IPAB in the upcoming congressional session?
News outlets report on a variety of health law implementation issues, including an Associated Press report detailing how the overhaul is lagging in the states. Other reports examine questions about ACOs, essential benefits and other specific provisions.
The head of the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which funded "two projects that created a highly pathogenic [H5N1] flu virus mutation, has welcomed a two-month moratorium on further research while defending the value and safety of the experiments," the Financial Times reports. NIAID Director Anthony Fauci "told the FT it was 'right to get off the unnecessary fast track' of a debate 'played out in sound bites,' and instead hold a serious international debate to determine future publication and practice in the field," according to the newspaper (Jack, 1/22). "In a letter published in the journals Nature and Science on Friday, 39 scientists defended the research as crucial to public health efforts, including surveillance programs to detect when the H5N1 influenza virus might mutate and spark a pandemic," Reuters writes, adding, "But they are bowing to fear that has become widespread since media reports discussed the studies in December that the engineered viruses 'may escape from the laboratories' ... or possibly be used to create a bioterror weapon" (Begley, 1/20).
"For the third time in the past decade, drought has returned to the arid, western shoulder of Africa, bringing hunger to millions," and "[a]id agencies are warning that if action is not taken now, the region known as the Sahel could slip into crisis," the Associated Press reports. "Aid workers also worry that donors are suffering from 'famine fatigue,' as the looming West African crisis comes just six months after Somalia's capital was declared a famine zone," the news agency writes.
This post in the Ministerial Leadership Initiative's (MLI) "Leading Global Health" blog "is the fourth of a series of perspective pieces on country ownership from the 'Advancing Country Ownership for Greater Results' roundtable organized recently by MLI, a program of Aspen Global Health and Development." "This fourth piece covers the comments made by several senior U.S. government officials," including Ariel Pablos-M
Commenting on the latest data on global health spending from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in this post on the Global Health Council's (GHC) "Blog 4 Global Health," Craig Moscetti, a policy manager in the council's policy and government relations department, writes "some of the latest tracking data shed light on some interesting trends, prompting many key questions." He poses several questions, including, "Are developing countries stepping up?" and "Is health sector spending the more efficient and effective way to produce health?," and answers each (1/19).
The WHO is expected to hold a meeting in February to discuss controversy over recent research on the H5N1 bird flu virus, after the U.S. National Scientific Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) in December advised the journals Science and Nature to withhold publishing two teams' research on the virus for fear the information could "fall into the wrong hands," a commentary in the Economist's "Babbage" blog states. "In a statement sent to Science, the WHO says that research" into bird flu genetics is "an important tool for global surveillance efforts," the commentary says.
Reuters reports on how seniors who wait too long to sign up for Medicare Part B could face costly penalties. Meanwhile, CQ HealthBeat reports on the political implications of Medicare's monthly premiums.
IRIN examines several factors that could be contributing to an increase in polio cases in Pakistan, "despite the launch of a National Emergency Action Plan for Polio Eradication" at the beginning of 2011. In 2010, Pakistan recorded 144 cases of polio and 192 cases in 2011, the news service reports. According to IRIN, refusals by some households to vaccinate children; "administrative laxity" and "poorly run campaigns"; and malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, and diarrhea among children could be contributing to the campaign's lack of success (1/23).
A selection of health policy stories from around the United States.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
Medicaid is making news in North Carolina, Georgia, Kansas and New Jersey.
"A total of 28,000 people died of HIV/AIDS in China in 2011, and another 48,000 in the country were found newly infected by the virus, according to an official publication" released on Saturday by China's Ministry of Health, UNAIDS, and the WHO, Xinhua/China Daily reports. "With about 780,000 people living with HIV/AIDS nationwide, including 154,000 AIDS patients, the total infection rate of the country stands at 0.058 percent, the report said," according to the news service. "The report added that more than 136,000 AIDS patients had received anti-virus treatments by September 2011, bringing the treatment coverage rate to 73.5 percent, an increase of 11.5 percentage points compared to 2009," Xinhua writes (1/21).
The Fiscal Times reports on what it calls the "economic drama" that plays out in cancer wards and oncologists offices all over the United States.
Several states are preparing for aspects of the health law.
With a name change and an end to its governing board's affiliation with the Catholic Church, Catholic Healthcare West will become Dignity Health.
The New York Times reports on a trend in which hospitals are competing for more affluent patients from all over the world. Meanwhile, The Boston Globe reports on a stragey for providing medical care that is catching on in Massachusetts. Finally, CNN explores a trend in which physicians are increasingly taking advantage of Small Business Adminstration loans.
Roll Call reports that state legislatures passed a landmark number of anti-abortion measures in 2011 - setting the stage for the year ahead.
President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday is expected to include a shift in strategy related to health policy.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports looking ahead to President Barak Obama's State-of-the-Union address and others examining the health law.
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